ARKAN

Kelem

The melodic death metal band Arkan has switched from Season of Mist to Overpowered Records for their fourth album. It is not the only thing that has changed. Sarah who did the vocals left the band to concentrate fully on her acting career. Manuel Munoz (from The Old Dead Tree) took over on her behalf. Does that make a big difference? The sound is slightly firmer and more solid than their previous release. The melodic remained but the Arab influences are somewhat faded into the background. In addition, a male singer instead of a female singer makes also a big difference with the past. But Manuel has a good clean and versatile voice that fits perfectly with their music. Florent takes care of the growls and grunts. So in that respect it is a change but not a decline.

With Kelem they have produced a modern sounding album that is well put together. There is room for plenty of variation. There are solid songs like Nour, Erhall, The Call (beginning quietly)... There are also a few calmer and melancholic moments like Just A Lie or Beyond The Wall (where Munoz sings the soul out of his body, a strong track). Arkan nowadays sounds more like a European band. Whether you like it or not depends on your taste, but they have made an album that can compete in the upper echelons of the genre.